DEFINITIONS

Content related to punch

The Problem With AwesomeMany words have been wasted on the subject of when adulthood starts. Some hold that it comes about with the right to drink alcoholic beverages or vote in an election. For particularly stringent grammarians of a certain generation, the rite of passage that marks the official start of adulthood is the point at which one becomes annoyed at hearing someone say that something is awesome, …
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Why Is It Called “Rock n’ Roll”?Is “Rocket ‘88” by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats the very first rock and roll record? The question has inspired debate among musicologists for years.  Another equally contentious question: Where does the term rock and roll  come from? Rock is derived from the Old English roccain, related to the Old Nordic rykkja meaning, “to pull, tear, move.” The earliest recorded use of the term in …
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Words nearby punch

puna, punakha, punan, puncak jaya, punce, punch, punch biopsy, punch bowl, punch card, punch graft, punch in

Idioms for punch

    pull punches,
    1. to lessen deliberately the force of one's blows.
    2. Informal. to act with restraint or hold back the full force or implications of something: He wasn't going to pull any punches when he warned them of what they would be up against.
    roll with the punches, Informal. to cope with and survive adversity: In the business world you quickly learn to roll with the punches.

Origin of punch

1
1350–1400; Middle English punchen (v.); apparently variant of pounce1

SYNONYMS FOR punch

3 strike, hit; drub, pummel.

OTHER WORDS FROM punch

punch·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for roll with the punches (1 of 4)

punch1
/ (pʌntʃ) /

verb

to strike blows (at), esp with a clenched fist
(tr) Western US to herd or drive (cattle), esp for a living
(tr) to poke or prod with a stick or similar object
punch above one's weight to do something that is considered to be beyond one's ability

noun

Derived forms of punch

puncher, noun

Word Origin for punch

C15: perhaps a variant of pounce ²

British Dictionary definitions for roll with the punches (2 of 4)

punch2
/ (pʌntʃ) /

noun

verb

(tr) to pierce, cut, stamp, shape, or drive with a punch

Word Origin for punch

C14: shortened from puncheon, from Old French ponçon; see puncheon ²

British Dictionary definitions for roll with the punches (3 of 4)

punch3
/ (pʌntʃ) /

noun

any mixed drink containing fruit juice and, usually, alcoholic liquor, generally hot and spiced

Word Origin for punch

C17: perhaps from Hindi pānch, from Sanskrit pañca five; the beverage originally included five ingredients

British Dictionary definitions for roll with the punches (4 of 4)

Punch
/ (pʌntʃ) /

noun

the main character in the traditional children's puppet show Punch and Judy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with roll with the punches (1 of 2)

roll with the punches

Cope with and withstand adversity, especially by being flexible. For example, She'd had three different editors for her book, each with a different style, but she'd learned to roll with the punches. This term alludes to the boxer's ability to deflect the full force of an opponent's blow by adroitly moving his body. [Mid-1900s]

Idioms and Phrases with roll with the punches (2 of 2)

punch

In addition to the idioms beginning with punch

  • punch in
  • punch out

also see:

  • beat to it (the punch)
  • can't punch one's way out of a paper bag
  • pack a punch
  • pleased as punch
  • pull no punches
  • roll with the punches
  • sucker punch
  • throw a punch
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.